Thursday, 30 January 2014

Gareth Barry: A Contender for the England Squad

Roberto Martinez
came out to say that he is keen to sign Gareth Barry on a permanent deal
following what has been an incredibly successful loan spell so far on
Merseyside. Barry has added some much needed experience to Everton’s midfield,
his signing offset the loss of Feliani and while that move allowed James
McCarthy to come in, it’s Barry who’s been one of Everton’s top performers so
far this season.

So far for
Everton this season Barry has appeared 18 times. Since making his debut in the
hard fought victory against Chelsea, Barry has missed just one game through
suspension and has played 90 minutes in each game. This underlines his
importance to the Everton side and also casting aside any doubts that there
might have been about his fitness.

He’s scored moregoals (3) so far this season than in each of his 4 seasons at Manchester City,
it’s an added bonus for a player who is mainly regarded for his defensive
capabilities to be scoring goals for Martinez. Barry has also provided 3
assists so far this season, more than in the last two years at City.

Barry is making
2.8 tackles and clearances (2.7) per game, similar to the levels at the
beginning of his Manchester City career. Partly that must be due to the way
that City dominate the game so much more than Everton do. A reflection in the
differences of the two sides playing styles is that Barry is now playing 5.8
accurate long passes per game, more than he ever did at his time at City.
Another sign of Martinez’s style of play coming through is that Barry has
played more passes on average (70.9) than when he was at Manchester City, which
corresponds to the possession based football Martinez likes his teams to play.

It speaks volumes
of Gareth Barry as a professional that he wanted to move away in order to get
regular football. It suggests he has a great attitude towards the game, many
other layers would have been happy to sit on the bench and pick up hefty wage
packets at City.

I was one of many
who thought that Gareth Barry would never play for England again. In the 2010
World Cup, the way in which Ozil eased passed him as Germany went on to score
again, signified the ageing of Barry and that he was past his best. However,
his performances at Everton this season have been of a higher level and suggest
he deserves to be going to Brazil.

Barry has
experience of international tournaments and has played on the highest stages in
world football with both Manchester City and England, he will not shy away
under the pressure in Brazil. At Everton he has shown he has the ability to be
a leader on the pitch, which is something England could well need.

The issue is
where would Barry fit in, presumably as one of the two holding midfielders in a
4-2-3-1 system, alongside either Gerrard or Carrick.

Barry certainly
has the edge over Michael Carrick going forward, Carrick hasn’t scored or
provided any assists for Manchester United so far this season. Barry is also
making more tackles (2.8) on average per game than Carrick (2.0), but the
United midfielder has been making more interception (3.5) than Barry (1.2).
Carrick has the advantage when it comes to passing, with an average pass
completion of 86.9%.

It’s hard to
imagine Gerrard being left out of the England team if he is fit. The England
captain has twice as many goals and assists as Barry so far this season, in the
same number of starts. The only advantage Barry has over both Carrick and
Gerrard is that he has avoided injury this season whereas both of the others
have had spells out.

He could be a
good asset to have on the bench, to bring on to close out games when needed. He
certainly has the composure to do so and is a more accomplished in centre
midfield than someone like James Milner who may be used in a similar situation.

It’ll be
interesting to see whether or not Hodgson decides to recall Barry. I can
imagine public outcry, but based on this season he deserves a second chance for
England. Hopefully he’ll at least be considered by Hodgson.